Can-cover-seaming machine.



F. W. BURPEE.

CAN COVER SEAMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. II, 1915.

1,224,358, I' Patented May 1, 1917 4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

'High I /l TTOHMDS F. W. BURPEE.

CAN COVER SEAIVIING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FIKLED OCT. Il. 1915.

Patented May 1, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A TTUR/VEYS F. W. BURPEE.

CAN COVER SEAMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.1l, |915.

Patented .May 1, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

F. W. BURPEE.

CAN COVER SEANIING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.II. 1915.

Patented May 1, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- 63 Z; L17 Z5 INI/ENTOR Fraai( Wurlw FRANK W. BURPEE, 0F SOUTH BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON.

oamoovnnfsEAi/rrne MACHINE.

Lacasse.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May i, 19t?.

Application led October 11, 191,5. Serial No. 55,296.

To all whom t may concern.

Be it knownthat li, FRANK W. BURPEE, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at South Bellingham, in the county of Whatcom and State of Washington, United States of America, have invented certain new and useful improvements in CaneCover-Seaming Machines, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to a can cover seaming machine of the double spindle class, wherein the seaming of the cover to the upper edge of the can is effected in two operations by separate rotatable heads each having opposed seaming rollers rotatably carried in the head.

Many machines have been designed to effect the closure of the edges of a can cover upon the'outwardly ianged edges of the can body in the same general manner as is here set forth, but, owing to the multiplicity of movements necessary in efecting the several operations, the great majority of ma- 'chines designed for thisobject are complicated in their mechanism and therefore liable to derangement and expensive to maintain. ylihis is largely due to the extremes of speed required for the various operations: from the seaming head to the relatively low speeds of themechanisms required to operate the can feed, etc. l

The machine, which is .the subject of this application, has been designed to simplify the mechanism and .enable all movements of the machine to be'derived from a prihigh speed of the rotatable I.

mary or first motionshaft, and to accom' plish these results, while maintaining a high rate of output and efficient seaming of the covers. 1 Y rihe invention also comprises an improved means for closing the seaming rollers on the edges of the cover and can body and a means whereby the release of a can cover from the cover magazine is timed coperatively with Jghe delivery of a can body to the turret by( which they are carried from the line of feed and discharge, to and from in the course of the seaming heads. I

rihere are other incidental features of im- ;provement to which attention will be called the following specification which particularly describes the machine, reference being made to the drawings by which it is accompanied, in which:

.Figure 1 shows theupper part f a can,

body and its cover as delivered for the seaming operation. f

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of the seam as closed, the seaming being eii'ected in two operations.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of one half of the machine with the can cover magazine removed and a vertical section through the spindle of the primary or right hand seaming head and the can body'lift.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the machine complete.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail being a section across the/aperture of the cover delivery plate.

Fig. 6 is a plan of the lower part of the machine, being a section on the line 6 6 in Figs. 3 and 4..

Fig.A 7 `is a sectional plan of the upper part of the machine showing the gearing by which the several main shafts of the machine are driven from the first motion shaft.

Fig. 8 is an elevation and vertical vsec-l tion to an enlarged scale of the seaming head and correlated parts.

Figris a sectional plan of the same on the line 94-9 `in Fig. 8.

Figs. 10, 11, 12 and 13 are enlarged details of a seaming roller and the manner of mounting it in its stem.

Fig. 14C is a plan of the Geneva movement of the can holding turret. n

Fig. 15 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the machine.

in these drawings-2 represents the frame of the machine and 3 the first motion shaft `from which all the movements of the 'machine are derived. This shaft 3 drives by bevel wheels 5 an intermediate vertical shaftl 1i. @n the upper end of this intermediate shaft 4 is secured a pinion i?, the teeth of which mesh with those of a wheel 8 secured on the upper end of each of two vertical cam shafts 9 and 10. Each of these cam shafts effects the rise and fall of its adjacent seaming head spindle and the rise and fall of the can body plunger, and .in addition one of these shafts 9 operates the spacing mechanism of the feed and the other l0 the rotation of the turret.

On the lower end of the intermediate shaft 4 is secured a gear wheel 11, the teeth of which mesh with teeth l2 cut in each of the two vertically disposed hollow spindles 13 of the rotating seaming'heads 17 by which the covers of the cans are effectively closed,

on the flanges of the can bodies, the complete their grooves in the head each of which is provided with a cover plate 21. ln the secf operation of seaming the covers on the can bodies bein e'ected in two operations by the two hea s.

Each spindle 13 is carried in oppositely angled roller bearings 14, adjustably mounted in a bearing casing 15 which is vertically movable in a bearing 16 in the frame 2 so that endwise movement of the bearing casing effects corresponding endwise movement of the spindle 13 and its head 17. The lower end voi the spindle or head 17 is of wedge form tapered equally on each side from the axis of the spindle, and the angled sides of 'the head are grooved, as at 6, to receive the rectangular stems 18 on the ends o f which the seaming rollers 19 are rotatably mounted. r1`hese stems 18 are endwise movable in ondary or finishing head the securing screws of its cover plates 21 are located in the upper ends of the plates and the lower ends of the plates are reduced in thickness that they may act as springs and yield outward to permit the rollers to pass over the multiple thickness of metal at the longitudinal seam of the can body.

The hollow spindle 13 is endwise slidable and rotatable on a stationary stem 22 which passes through the axial bore of the spindle and has secured on its lower end a die head 23 turnedtofit the upper surface of the can cover. Against this head 23 the upper endA of the can with its cover is held, by a means to be described later, while the' operation of seaming is performed by the rollers 19 carried around it by the rotating head 17. The

upper end of the support stem22 is secured against either endwise movement or rotation by its attachment in a bracket 24 secured to and projecting upward from the cover of the bearing 16 of the casing 15 which carries the roller bearings of the rotatable head spindle 13. j

Rotatable on the lower end of the support stem 22, between a shoulder thereon and the die head 23, is a check plate 25, each end of j moved inward or outward by the angle ofthe wedge, to or from the axis of the spindle, to press the rollers into forming contact with the ianges of the can body and its cover or tovwithdraw them from such contact.

To facilitate adjustment of the seamingrollers 19 from the axisof rotationA of the head 17 1n which they are carried, the studs on whlch each roller 19 rotates is integral Laatste with or secured in a block 48 which has a dovetailed recess to receive the correspondingly shaped end of the stem 18, and adjustment in this dovetailed recess to and from the axis of the head is eected by a screw.

rIhe cylindrical roller bearing casing 15 which, as stated, is vertically movable in its bearing 16 in the frame 2 of the machine, is checked against rotation -by a key 27 secured in a keyway cut inthe cover plate of the bearing and projecting downward to engage oneJ of the notches of the lower adjusting nut of the bearing 16.

The bearing casing 15 of each spindle is lowered or lifted to lower or lift its rotating head by a grooved cam 28 secured on the upper part of each cam shaft 9 and 10, in the groove of which cam runs a roller 29 mounted on a stud secured in and projecting radially from the roller bearing casing 15 where it projects above its bearing 16 in the frame. llt will he noticed that in the depth' of the aperture in the casing 15, throughwhich the the teeth cut in the hollow spindle 13 of the driving head, and in the length of these teeth, provision is made for the vertical movement of the bearing casing and 0f it spindle.

Secured to the lower part of the frame 2 to project from itunder the rotatable seaming heads 17 is a bracket table 30, over which the can bodies are fed and from which they are successively moved from the line of delivery to thefirst and second seaming heads, and thereafter restored to the same line for delivery from the machine. sive movements are imparted to the cans by a turret 31 rotatably mounted in the bracket table 30, which turret has in its periphery semicireular recesses 32 corresponding to the diameter of the can bodies, and spaced apart that the space between alternate recesses will correspond with that of the rotating head spindles.

The cans as fed into the recesses are retained therein during movement to and from the seaming heads by an arc shaped" fence 33 approximately corresponding to the cirvcular path of the outer sides of the can bodies.

An intermittent movement corresponding to the space of the 'recesses' apart is imparted to the turret by al Geneva movement. This movement comprises a move and lock wheel 34 secured on the stem 29 of the turret where it projects below its bearing in the bracket 30. This wheel 34 has driving notches 35 between each of its locking recesses 36. It is rotated by a pin 38 projecting from the face of a gear wheel 37 and is locked by a concentric segment 39. projecting from the same wheel 37 to engage at each revolution one of the locking recesses 36 of theV wheel 34. f

In the teeth of the wheel 37 mesh those of a gearwheel 40 secured on the lower end of the cam shaft 10.

In axial alinemeiit below each rotatable seaming head a can body lifting plunger 41 is endwise movable, but not rotatable, in a suitable bearing provided in the table bracket 30. These plungers are designed to lift the can bodies into the plane of action of the rollers 19 of each seaming head, and to lower them after the operation of seaming by each head is, completed. This lifting movement is eHected by a grooved cam 42 'secured on the'lower end of each. cam shaft) 9 and 10, into the groove of which cam projects a roller 43 rotatably mounted on a stud secured in and radially projecting from the plunger 41.

That the lifting contact of the plunger may be cushioned to give an evenpressure on the can body the lifting plunger 41 is bored to receive a cap 44 with a solid rubber ring 45 or other resilient material interposed between theunderside of the cap and a washer 46, which Washer is adjustable b v set screws through the bottom of the hollow f plunger. The required initial compression is imposed on the cushion spring 45. by a central stem 47 secured in the contact head and slidably passing through the adjusting washer and the bottom of thek plunger, against which the outward movement of the stein is limited by a nut threaded on` it.

rI`he can bodies are fed to the machine and are delivered from it on the same two parallel conveyer chains 70 which pass around two driving sprockets 71 mounted on the side of delivery from the machine and over carrying sprockets mounted on a floor standard adjacent the side of delivery to the machine.

l These chains 70 run in ,channels in the bracket table 30 which is laterally extend-l ed at the feed side to support the spacing mechanism 68. The driving sprockets 71 are secured on a shaft 72 which, is itself driven by asprocket chain 73 taking over a' Y sprocketl 74 on the shaft 72 and a smaller secured on` the first motion shaft 3 of the machine. v

Spacing of the can bodies `to the turret is eected by any suitable vdevice that will deliver the cans at 'regular distances apart corresponding to the spaceI between the can spacing device, so that when a can spacing device should engage a can adjacent its cross diameter between the fences so as to cause a spacing finger to over-ride a can.

The covers to be applied to the can body are carried in an open cage magazine 50 on a bracket 49 secured to and projecting upward from the front ofthe table bracket 30 to carry the can covers over the path of the ,can body recesses of the turret, and between 30 the bottom of this magazine and the plane of the can cover tops is a cover carrying plate 60 which is apertured at 61 to corre= spond in space with the recesses of the turret yto which the cover plate is secured to rotate g5 with it. The tier of covers in e magazine rest upon the curved inner edges of two opposed levers 51 which are pivoted at 52 to\ the bracket 49vwhich supports the magazine,

and are moved apart to release a cover by a 9@ short double-ended lever 53 secured on a short pivot shaft 54 mounted in the bracket; The ends of this lever 53 are link-connected at 55 to the release levers 51.

ln order that the release of a cover may be coincident with the delivery of a can body to j the turret, a short lever secured on the pivot shaft 54 is connected by a link rod 58 to the short arm of a bell crank 56 pivoted at 57, the longer arm of which bell crank is shaped to project normally under the action of its spring 59 into the path of the cans past the body passing the end of the bell crank lever pushes ,that lever back that backward movement opens the opposed levers 51 and permits a cover to fall into one of the apertures 61 of the cover carrying plate by which it is carried by successive movements until the can body which effected its'release is under the 11o rotatable head by which the cover is to be seamed, when the body is lifted up by the plunger 41 through the aperture of theicover plate and lifts the cover into contact with the die hea'd Q3 against which it is held while M5 the edge ofthe cover which sustained it on the upper side of the aperture of the plate 60 is bent over and closed against the body of the can.

Axially slidable in each support stem 22,

is aiknockout stem 62 which. is provided with a flat head at its'lower end, which flat head fits into la'recess in the die 23. Mounted in a suitable head in the upper end of this stem 62 isa roller 63 -with provision in a guide 125 stem 65 to prevent rotation of the stem,

. which roller runs in a groove of a cam 64 secured on the upper end of each cam shaft. 9 and 10,-the groove of the cam being adapted to impart the required vertical movement ofv 13( yielding fence is designed 70 to p revent injury to the can bodies 1f the thestem. This device performs the following services in connection with the seaming 'of the cover on the can' body. It is pressed down -on the cover in the apertures of the cover plate 60 as soon as rotation of the turret brings one under the seaming head' spindle and steadies that cover while the can body is being lifted up against the die 23 by the operation of the plunger 41 previously described. As the can body is lifted the knockout stem 'recedes with it into the recess provided for it in the lower face of the die 23 against which the cover is firmly held by the plunger during the operation of seaming: Again, as the seaming operation rolls the edges of the cover and body against the edge of the die 23 which fits the recess of the can cover, the seamed can requires to be forcibly expressed from the die head 23 when the operation is completed, and this forcible expression is effected by thecam 64 acting on the knockout stem 63 which delivers the can body below the level of the can cover carrying plate 60 and returns, so that the turret is free to rotate and carry the can to the subsequent operations.

I claiml. In a machine of the class described wherein the seaming of the covers on the cans is performed in two operations under separate seaming heads, the combination with a suitable frame supporting the seaming head spindles, -of a first motion shaft through which power is applied to the machine, an intermediate vertical shaft driven from the first motion shaft, ineans for simultaneously driving the vertical seaming head spindles from the intermediate shaft 'at a greater speed of rotation than that of the intermediate shaft, a cam shaft parallel and adjacent to each seaming head spindle to coperate with the same, means for simultaneously 'driving the two parallel and adjacent cam shafts from the intermediate shaft at a less speed of rotation than that of the intermediate shaft, means for raising and lowering the seaming heads, means for transferring the can bodies from the line of feed to beneath the seaming heads vand for restoring them to the same line of feed, and

means for lifting the can bodies from the plane of feed to bring their covers to the plane of seaming and for .lowering them therefrom.

2. In a machine of the class described wherein the seaming of the covers to the cans is performed in successive operations under separate seaming heads, the combination with a suitable frame for supporting the seaming head spindles and the several mechanisms of the machine, ahorizontally disposed first motion shaft through which power is applied to the machine, means for 'operating the can feed from the rst motion shaft, an intermediate shaft driven by said shaft parallel and adjacent each seaming head spindle, means for driving said cam shafts from the intermediate shaft at a lower speed of rotation than that of the intermediate shaft,means on each cam shaft for raising and lowering its adjacent seaming spindles, means-on each cam shaft for lifting a can body up to each seaming head, means on one cam shaft for operating the means for transferring a can body from the line of feed to a position under each seaming head, and for returning the can body after seaming to the original line of feed and means on the other cam shaft for operating the can body spacing mechanism.

3. In a machine of thel class described, having a hollow spindle which is rotatably mounted in a suitable frame and susceptible of vertical movement in relation thereto, said spindle carrying a seaming head at its lower end, a'central stem secured at the upper end to thev frame of the machine and passing axially through the spindle, said stem having a die head secured at its lower end adaptedto fit within the cover of the can, seaming rollers rotatably mounted on stems which are slidable in outwardly angled slideways on opposite sides of the seaming head, means for preventing rotational movement ofthe seaming roller stems, means for raising and lowering the hollow spindle and its seaming head, and means connected to the central stem for preventing rise and fall of the seaming roller stems while permitting their radial movement to and from the axis of rotation of the seaming head spindle.

4. In a machine of the class described for seaming covers oncans, the combination with a suitable frame, of a seaming head having a hollow spindle rotatably mounted in the frame and susceptible of vertical movement in relation thereto, a stem passing axially through the spindle and secured 4against endwise or rotational movement in relation to the frame, stems slidably mounted on opposite sides of the seaming head in slideways which are angled outward and downward from the axis of the spindle, each stem having a seaming roller rotatably mounted at its lower end on a substantially vertical axis, vmeans rotatable with the head and on the central stem for preventing vertical movement of the stems which carry the seaming rollers. i

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a seaming head the spindle of which is rotatably mounted in a suitable frame, stems mounted in the seaming head in slideways which are angled outward from the axis of the seaming head, each dle of which is rotatably mounted in a suitable frame, stems rectangular in crosssection slidably mounted in the seaming head in slideways angled downward and outward from the axis of the seaming head each stem having a seaming roller rotatably mounted on its lower end on an axis which is substantially parallel 'to that of the seaming head, and means for endwise moving the seaming head stems in relation to the seaming head.

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a seaming head the spindle of which is rotatably mounted in a suitable frame, stems slidably mounted in slideways at an angle to the axis of the seaming head, each stem'having a seaming roller rotatably mounted on its projecting end on an axis which is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the head, and means for endwise-moving -the stems of the seaming rollers in the slideways.

8. I n a machine of the class described, the combination with a seaming head the spindle of which is rotatably mounted in a suitablefframe, stemsmounted in slideways of the seaming head that are angled to the axisv of rotation of the head,.s'prin'g cover plates retaining the stems in the slideway, a block adjustably secured to the lower end of each slideway stem, seaming rollers rotatably mounted -on the block, and means for imparting endwise movement to the stems in the sldeway.

9. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a-seaming head, the spin# dle of which is rotatably mounted in a suit# able frame, stems mounted in the seaming head in slideways'which-are angled outward from the axis of the seaming head, each steml having a seaming roller rotatably mounted on its lower end, means for end.

wise moving the stems of the seamingrollers in their slideways, means preventingrotation of the stems in the same'and resilient means for retaining. the stems in the slideways against outward radial movement therefrom.

10. Ina machine of the class described, the, combinationy with a seaming head the spindle of which'is rotatably mountedin a suitable frame, stems 'mounted in the seam- I ing head in slideways which are angled outward from the axis of the seaming head, each stem having a seaming roller rotatably mounted on its lower end on an axis which vis substantially parallel to the axis of the seaming head which axis of rotation is adjustable in its radial distance from the axis A of the seaming head.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

l FRANK W. BURPEE. 

